First Time Grower, jumping right in w/ Titan hydro

[Treehorn]

Thanks.. We got some nutes today...CAL MAGic from GH... Did I understand that I should use 5ml per Gal of water??? That's not too much? today's watering had a mix of .5 per gal... Should I remix? At my mixture strength, it's prob useless... Correct?

 

[Treehorn]

Thanks for the pics... Your two week old pics look a bit like mine.. Seems as once you started the nutes they really started to grow. what was the mix of the cal mag u used?

 

[Skybound]

Res Change:


-4ml/g of Florablend
-5ml/g of CaMg
PER 5 Gallons:
-4 Parts Micro
-4 Parts Bloom
-4 Parts Gro

pH:5.8
PPM:710

I also use 5ml of CaMg per every 1 gallon of water.

 

[The303Stoner]

The Oneness from Humboldt Nutrients looks like a great product for first time hydro grower.

 

[Treehorn]

Thats a lot of nutes, AG. Looks like I've got some reading to do. let's say my budget allows for an additional nute to add to CalMag? Which would you suggest. BTW, will cal mag help with overall growth?

 

[AfricanGrower]

Hey Treehorn, any CaMg product that you purchase is intended to be used as a supplement to your current nutrient regime. Meaning you cannot use CaMg alone and expect the plant to thrive for very long without running into other defeciencies.

Calcium and Magnesium are what you call MICRO nutrients and as suggested in the name a plant only uses very minute portions of these (other MICROs include Boron, Manganese, Iron). Now your plant more importantly needs MACRO nutrinets in order to be fully productive and functional. These include your basic three Nitrogen, Pottassium, and Phosphorous. And I am sure you have heard of these when looking at nutrients, for example a nutrients 'N-P-K' value is based off of the 3 MACROs I mentioned above.

It may sound a little confusing but think of your MACROs as your 3 main meals of the day: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, without one of these meals a human can't really be as energetic and productive as someone who eats 3 times a day. And now think of you MICROs as little snacks you consume throughout your day to keep your energy level up. If I skip a meal I usually end up feeling very tired and lazy at the end of the day!

So going back to your question of additional nutes. I would suggest you have a look at our SPONSORS PAGE as there are tons of products I would recommend from it. My top so far would be General Hydroponics and Fox Farms only because that is what I have experience using. But I have heard many good things about Advanced Nutrients and Humboldt as well! When making a purchase of nutes I would suggest you look for the brands STARTER KIT which includes everything you need to complete at least one small scale grow. And it gives you a real good feeling for the nutes before you go out and spend hundreds on gallons of the stuff

Here is a starter kit I got from General Hydro for about 50 bucks.

Here is a custom starter kit I had ordered off of the online fleabay of Fox Farm nutes for about 25 bucks.

 

[Treehorn]

Thanks for the awesome response and you explained it perfectly. I found the GH kit at a local store and the babies are being fed. More yellowing showing so I hope the CalMag kicks in soon. The babies look a little sad so I hope the feeding will show results in a day or so. Should I see results soon? Tnx agn.

 

[AfricanGrower]

Yea that GH kit is really excellent, great purchase! In hydro you should start to see new, healthy growth within 1-3 days depending on how severly the plant was affected. The most important thing you can do now is be patient and wait for the plant to tell you if she is recovering or still going through some issues. In your case of CaMg, if new growth is appearing to be normal color than it is fine, however older affected leaves will tend to remain affected, even sometimes get worse. Judge wisely my friend

 

[Treehorn]

ok.. 4 days since we detected the Mag def. We got some CalMag on it and the following day began the nutes.

The leaves continue to get yellow and brown and look like they will fall off. However, see the new growth on top? Thats good news, indeed. Note on #5 how that one is not effected at all but seems squatty. Well now that they are getting CalMag and have begun a nice diet (As per AG and the HG Starter kit) we expect them to have a good week.

They look kinda sad but at least the new growth is coming and this Mag def is history.

Again tnx for the help and comments. No way I could do this without the help I get.

Treehorn

 

[Treehorn]

Sorry It was #3 that seems uneffected yet squatty. Do not adjust your sets.

 

[Treehorn]

They look sad but are on the mend I hope:

Except # 3 which seems squatty

New growth is coming from the top of the affected babies (see?) and we continue with CalMag and NOW (Finally) a diet from the GH Starter Diet. Looking forward to a better week. Thanks all for the help. Cant do it without you.

 

[AfricanGrower]

What is the current PPM and pH of your nutrient solution you are feeding them?

 

[Treehorn]

I do not know that... (no meter -- prob this week Ill get one) what should it be ?

 

[Treehorn]

The Ph is right in the middle.. (According to the kit that came with the GH Starter Kit.)

 

[AfricanGrower]

Okay, RULE #1 in any Hydro setup is meters. It is the most basic tool you should have in your arsenal growing supplies as it will help determine exactly how much you are feeding and if the nutrients are even being absorbed by the roots.

Looking at pictures above, your deficiency could be turning into a nutrient burn. Your seedlings are looking pretty rough, but I believe you can still nurse them back to health.

YOU need to get some meters ASAP. You could just buy cheap pH and PPM meters that would only viably last for one or two grows, or you can invest in a $100+ in a reliable meter that will last you for years. That decision is completely up to you and your investment in future growing. I personally have bought two $15-25 meters, one for pH and one for PPM, for my hydro and plan on purchasing a $100 multimeter for future ones.

By all means the cheaper meter can suffice for now since you are on a budget.

At this stage your PPM should be no more than 200-300 and your pH needs to be at a 5.8. BAsed on what you said, they are 'in the middle', which should mean a pH of a 7.0. This WILL prevent nutrients from being absorbed by the roots as optimal nutrient intake occurs at a pH of 5.8.

You're doing great so far Tree being your first grow, but I can't stress how important it is to do your research when jumping into hydro. Believe it or not, I am in the middle of my first hydro grow aswell, even though I have been growing in soil for many years, I still spent months researching EVERY SINGLE aspect of what it takes to be successful in hydro.

Important subjects like 'Pythium', 'Beneficial Bacteria', PPM, pH, res temp, etc are just a few of the many important aspects of hydro any grower stepping into the game should surround themselves with

 

[AfricanGrower]

Here is a useful chart of what nutrients are absorbed at different pH levels. A slightly more acidic pH is required for Hydro, while slightly more alkaline pH is required for soil.

 

[Skybound]

^^^Exactly what AG said!^^^ I have already failed a hydro grow and am now doing the same feed/medium as AG in our current grows. With the methods we are using (I'm top feed, he's ebb&flow), our pumps only kick on for short durations at programmed times, so the pump does not add heat to the res. Systems that recirculate constantly or very frequently are prone to heat issues. Warmer water hold less dissolved oxygen which then become optimal conditions for bad bacteria to thrive. My little system was an aeroponics under spray bar that could also serve as ebb & flow as well as DWC with a 3 gallon res. The frequency of my feedings in conjunction with the heat I let build up almost assured me of trouble, but I didn't know it at the time.

I don't want to build a rant, just to point out that

--- PH 5.8 for optimal nute uptake in hydro (I allow as low as 5.5 because my water rapidly climbs in PH)
--- Keeping PPM at optimal levels for the age of the plant helps to prevent nute burn or lock out.
--- heat management of res. This would greatly impact your chance for success. Too warm, pythium might get ya
--- Using bennies (beneficial bacteria) is becoming a widely adopted practice by many successful growers that my studies are learning me.

The Capn, has an ever expanding blog that covers almost every major issue that a hydro grow will bring you and I attached a direct link to his blog and 2 other posts of his (bold green). His blog really is a one stop shop for information about hydroponic growing and the methods he has devised are safe growing environments that help your girls be all that they can be.

 

[AfricanGrower]

^^YAH What he said

 

[Treehorn]

Thanks AG and Sky.. I was 'whistling pass the graveyard' with meters. They have been ordered and I will have them in a day or so. Actually, when I said my Ph was in the middle, that was incorrect. My bride saw I said 'in the middle' to your question and we know that's a 7... actually it was a 6.. based on the GH kit. We will have exact numbers along with PPM in short order. I know the babies look a bit beat up but I'm seeing new growth happening and one plant has not shown any problems other than being a short girl. (Not HER fault!)
So, with your help and meters on the way, I think we will be ok. This hydro stuff is fun and I like the science of it. Once this Meg def is dealt with, (we will continue with CalMag in the diet as I learned that Mag def is common in this part of the country and this city in particular.) At least I haven't killed them yet and you've been most encouraging to this village idiot. Updates later in the week.

Tree

 

[Treehorn]

OMG! (Smacks self on head) and says NO WONDER! Meters came in today and goodness just in time! My feed was way off and explains why the sad babies. The PPM was like >x2 what AG had pointed out earlier. He said it should be between 200-300ppm w/ 5.8Ph. Clearly time for a flush, stat. Just H2O and ill let them dry some. Do you think just one H20 flush is enough? Im using clay balls so there not much to hold water. Given this info, when would YOU begin feeding again?